A blog launched on the 41st anniversary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the first pro-life organisation in the world, established on 11 January 1967. SPUC has been a leader in the educational and political battle against abortion, human embryo experimentation and euthanasia since then. I write this blog in my role as SPUC's chief executive, commenting on pro-life news, reflecting on pro-life issues and promoting SPUC's work.

Monday, 31 March 2014

LifeSite is reporting that there's a meeting today at which the Board of Trustees Company for the the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth will be removing from its Board a number of orthodox Catholics.

LifeSite reports:

The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, which calls itself "the UK’s premier Catholic Hospital," is attempting to remove from its Trustee Company several orthodox Catholics. The hospital, despite taking "great pride" in its "Catholic ethos", hosts a National Health Service clinic that refers women for abortions.

LifeSiteNews called the hospital and was informed that Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, [pictured above] was still patron of the hospital despite this fact not being mentioned on their website at the time of writing.

(I have written previously of the approval given by Cardinal Murphy O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, of an ethical code at St John and St Elizabeth’s Hospital, London, which failed to ban abortion referrals, unlike the previous code approved by the hospital board in 2007.)

I understand that the Hospital's board meeting to remove orthodox Catholics takes place this evening.

"These distressing figures are significant but not for the reason people often think. The pro-abortion lobby will suggest that more stringent birth control regimes are needed to stop women becoming pregnant and incurring expensive NHS abortion costs.

Many pro-life people assume that the figures suggest abortion is being used as a method of birth control. Some women may have this view, but importantly, this view is in practice encouraged by the Department of Health – which sees abortion as 'back-stop contraception.'

As a result of these figures, ministers are likely to agree to more intensive programmes to promote contraception, both to women who have abortions, and to young people generally.

The result of this is well-recognised – it doesn't reduce abortion, but promotes attitudes and sexual behaviour which increase the likelihood of children being conceived in unstable situations. And whether wanted or not, many will be aborted.

To break this vicious cycle, doctors should refuse to sanction abortion for so-called 'unwanted” pregnancies' – which is not a lawful basis for abortion. Also, ministers should demand that the Department of Health stops promoting birth-control policies which lead to sexual abuses, the undermining of marriage and the killing of unborn babies."

Wednesday, 26 March 2014

In a further interview published today, Bishop Philip Egan, the bishop of Portsmouth, has responded firmly to criticism from pro-abortion Catholic MPs who were appalled when he said political advocates of abortion and same-sex “marriage” should not present themselves to receive Communion.

“Those who do not accept the Catholic Church’s principle teachings on the value of life – as expressed in her teaching on abortion, on marriage and family life, on euthanasia, on eugenics and on assisted suicide – the main tenets of Christian anthropology – are rejecting Christ’s vision for the human person, whom he redeemed on the Cross,” told LifeSite News in a second interview.

“Abortion, euthanasia, eugenics, assisted suicide gravely degrade and undermine respect for the dignity and value of human life,” he said.

LifeSite put Bishop Egan's comments about the reception of Communion into context thus:

"Egan’s statements reflect those of American Cardinal Raymond Burke who recently called a priest’s refusal to give Holy Communion to a publicly dissenting Catholic politician a 'prime act of pastoral charity', since it helps the person in question to 'avoid sacrilege and safeguard[s] the other faithful from scandal.'”

You may wish to write to Bishop Egan to thank him for his clear, firm and loving pastoral leadership at bishop@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Last night a Channel 4 Dispatches programme highlighted the disposal of human remains from aborted and miscarried babies in NHS hospitals.

Paul Tully (pictured right), General Secretary of Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), has commented to the media on the revelations in the programme. Here's what he said:

“We welcome the efforts of those who have highlighted these appalling practices, but we insist that the answer is not as simple as having a new code of practice or better ways of treating babies’ remains. We must stop killing babies like these by abortion and then we will know how to respect the dead.

“The way we treat those who have died is important, yet parents who lose a baby by miscarriage or abortion are rarely consulted over the disposal of the baby’s remains.

“The reluctance to consult families in these situations is undoubtedly linked to our barbaric abortion policies, even if sometimes after late abortions everyone admits that the baby is a baby and tries at least to respect his or her remains.

“There are two issues at stake here. One is the feelings of the parents, and the other is the respect due to the dead – in this case a dead unborn child, killed by abortion or who has died as a result of spontaneous miscarriage.

“Some argue that because very early spontaneous miscarriage is not marked by social ceremony, and may be unrecognised by the mother herself, this indicates that the human embryo is not a person. This approach is used to argue for an arbitrary time before which the unborn are treated as non-persons.

“In fact the unborn has all the essential attributes of a person from conception, even though some characteristics take months or years to develop fully. If we feel differently about the unborn, it is simply because he or she is a stranger – someone we have not yet met or developed affection for.

“Until we reject the abortion culture and learn to honour all mothers – including expectant mothers and bereaved mothers - the sickening consequences of aborting over 500 babies every day will continue to resurface and unsettle us.”

Monday, 24 March 2014

Read in full in LifeSite News about the lady who risked her show-business career as a pop singer and Ireland's number one sweetheart - to fight for the unborn in politics. As LifeSite's report concludes:

In 1997, Dana entered politics with a nomination to run in the Irish presidential election.
Not forgetting the faces of the women [who had suffered the pain of an abortion], she ran her campaign on defending life from conception and protecting Christian family values, both enshrined in the Irish Constitution and both being undermined by a heavy-handed European Union. Dana managed to beat out one of Ireland’s major political parties — earning 14 percent of the vote — but did not win the election.

In 1999, Dana became elected as a Member of the European Parliament, a position she held until 2004. During this time, in spite of intense opposition, she courageously defended her country’s constitutional protection of the unborn and constitutionally-backed marriage law that defined marriage as between a man and woman.

Dana continues through her music and speaking engagements to work for peace, Christian family values, and respect for life.
“I love to sing, but I love people,” she said.

Friday, 21 March 2014

Please watch this beautiful testimony - addressed to mums - from people with Down Syndrome. They say "We can be happy ... Don't be afraid ... ".

On Sunday I am hearing a Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, to celebrate the work of the Lejeune Clinic and the unrivalled advice and help they have given to children with Down Syndrome and their parents, assisting Down Syndrome people with their education and development.
The SPUC Education and Research Trust is proud of its long association with the clinic, ever since its inception, and the late Professor Jerome Lejeune was President of SPUC.

In an interview with John-Henry Westen, editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, Rt Rev Mark Davies, delivered the following message to those involved in the pro-life movement and in the defence of marriage:

“I would say not to be afraid because I think we’ve got to have confidence that the essential goodness of the message that we are teaching, its truth, is going to attract the generations to come and what I often say is what we are doing now... is for the generations who will follow us.”

The bishop spoke of the ‘growing intolerance which we are seeing in society, which is in many way reducing the space in which Christians can live and give witness to their faith’. Bishop Davies called on those suffering under persecution to look to the Cross which he called a sign of ‘sharing the suffering of Christ’ and ‘the promise of victory... in so far as we remain united to Him in truth and in love.’

Thursday, 20 March 2014

Pat Buckley, SPUC's lobbyist at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, reports to me today:

Nigeria has been resisting pressure to change its laws on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The outcome of the Nigerian Universal Periodic Review was presented at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 20th. H.E. Mr. Umunna Humphrey Orjiako (pictured right) spoke on behalf of behalf of Nigeria.

The report of the working group shows that Nigeria has rejected pressure from a number of member states to introduce 'same sex marriage'. Nigeria rejected the recommendations on sexual orientation and gender of the following states:

Austria

Czech Republic

Sweden

France

Uruguay

Argentina

Australia

Canada

The United States

Slovakia recommended the introduction of sex education in the school curricula and France called for the continuation of work in favour of women’s rights […] including respecting sexual and reproductive rights.

The Centre for Reproductive Rights called for more family planning, sex education and abortion and complained that there was inadequate access to so called 'safe abortion'.

ILGA, the gay-lesbian organization, substantially funded by the European Commission, expressed deep concern about the prohibition of same sex marriage. They complained about a witch-hunt against and arrests of homosexuals. They also complained that none of the recommendations on sexual orientation had been accepted by Nigeria.

Mr. Orjiako in winding up the debate told the meeting Nigeria does not witch-hunt anyone and the laws on 'same sex marriage' were arrived at through a democratic process to which no one can object.

Here are stirring words, simple words which are full of hope for humanity, from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN):

"In the light of various global attacks on Human Life, Marriage and the Family, which work to erode Christian and Cultural values, we urge all to join in the preparation for the forthcoming Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in October 2014 under the theme: "Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization". We congratulate all the dioceses in Nigeria which took part in recent consultations on the family initiated by the Holy See. As further preparation for the Synod, we, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, are organizing a Seminar on Pro-Life issues under the theme: 'Witnessing to the Dignity of every Human Life'. It will take place in Abuja from June 5 to 7, 2014 at This Day Dome, International Central Business District, Abuja. We hope in this way to affirm Christian families, Youth and organizations that promote the culture of life. We urge all people of goodwill to fully support the forthcoming Seminar."

It is encouraging for families, pro-life and pro-family groups that Catholic leaders in Nigeria seem clearly to understand the global crisis which has been triggered by the killing untold millions of unborn children during the past half century, largely financed by western governments, and by attacks on the rights of parents.

By way of complete contrast, this crisis is largely ignored by Christian leaders, including Catholic leaders, in the West.

As I said in my address to the Legatus Convention in Orlando last month:

Yes, in the US and the UK we have had our pro-life successes. We must be full of hope but we mustn’t kid ourselves, ladies and gentlemen:

The forced abortion regime in China is funded by the taxpayers of virtually every nation on earth as the IPPF, Marie Stopes International and UNFPA, funded by governments worldwide, co-operate with the Chinese government’s policies.

Developing nations worldwide are under pressure from our powerful western governments to legalize abortion, population control measures, and a homosexual rights agenda which threatens our children.

And in our own nations countless millions of abortions take place annually, recorded under the abortion statistics, and unrecorded under the guise of so-called contraceptive drugs and devices so overwhelmingly accepted throughout society and widely in use even within the Catholic community.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The pro-life movement, however hardworking, however well-informed, however blessed and strong we may be in our initiatives, the pro-life movement cannot defeat the culture of death on our own ... Pro-life organizations and the wider community must be fortified by unequivocal, unyielding voices of Catholic Church officials and bishops throughout the world.

Throughout Britain, Ireland and Europe, the failure of Catholic bishops to teach their flocks on matters relating to the fundamental right to life is directly responsible for great confusion and, consequently, for the failure of the overwhelming majority of Catholics, both clerical and lay, to provide truly effective resistance to the greatest legalized slaughter of human beings in the history of the world. Countless millions of unborn children are being killed each year and the policy of very many Catholic bishops in Europe is contributing hugely to this deplorable situation.

It is time for the church leaders everywhere, starting in Rome, to follow the increasingly courageous lead of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria.

Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Nichola Pope on the right is pictured here with her friends
Patricia Benson (left) and Tilly Rock - from Castlerigg

Last week I received the following message from Nichola Pope who attended SPUC's youth conference earlier this month. It was one of the most inspiring, encouraging, messages I've ever received in nearly 40 years working at national level in SPUC:

Hello,

My name is Nichola Pope, I'm 22 years old and work at a Catholic youth retreat centre in the Lake District. I met you very briefly when I came to the SPUC youth conference on the weekend and feel like I've had something completely new breathed into me. I've never been to anything like the SPUC conference before and didn't know what to expect, but I'd heard of it through my parish priest who once asked me to read a letter of yours to the parish. What I experienced was a group of compassionate, faithful and genuine individuals who gave me back my faith in humanity. I felt enveloped in goodness and a real sense of solidarity in breathing God's love and life into the world and this 'culture of death'. I've always believed that like you said, politcians can't and won't change world but only the conversion of hearts and minds will ever make a difference. I came back from the conference and tried to tell somebody about where I'd been on the weekend and what the general ethos and mission of SPUC is (and my wholehearted agreement with it) and with the reaction I got, exactly what you said at the last talk about 'the battle' completely came to light. I realised how hard it is and how hardened hearts have become, and it made me very sad... but even more determined to live a life of love and witness which cares for nothing but the life and welfare of others, whether it be inside or outside of the womb.

I have always, always been pro life, I'm quite positive I was pro-life before I even realised there was an option... but since the conference I feel more passionately about it more than anything I've ever felt passionate about and I want to thank you and all who are part of SPUC for your dedication, your love, your compassion, your encouragement and your inspiration.

Here's some encouraging news I'm hearing from the SPUC team at the Human Rights Council in Geneva:

Many UN member countries, sick and tired of the constant bombardment from European and other first world member states about same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, have established an informal group known as Friends of the Family, consisting of 112 member states. This cross-regional group is being formed in the context of this, the 20th anniversary of the International year of the Family, and immediately prior to the 25th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Pat Buckley, one of SPUC's veteran lobbyists at the UN, tells me:

"When 112 member states come together to object to the agenda being forced on them through UN agencies and highlight their determination to support the family, as the fundamental group unit of society, as set out in the international bill of rights, one has to sit up and take notice. This new initiative will no doubt be stiffly resisted by the nations that promote the anti-life and family ideology but it represents the 'winds of change' in international relations and has the potential to lead to genuine appreciation of, and support for, the family."

The Group’s first initiative, consisting of a panel discussion on the role of the family as a vehicle in the fight against poverty, was held on Thursday, 13th March. The meeting focused on the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family and looked at the potential for the development of a new development goal on the family now that the international community is negotiating a 15 year programme consisting of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The panel focused in particular on strengthening the family in its role as a stimulator of autonomous economic activities, a factor for social integration and intergenerational solidarity and an engine for development; all of which are important components in the development of the post 2015 development agenda.

The event was arranged by the new group together with the permanent delegations of the African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Holy See, and speakers included Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See and Mrs. Sharon Slater, President of Family Watch International. The session was chaired by, H.E. Ambassador Jean Marie Ehouzou, Permanent Representative of the African Union.

Pro-lifers must be prepared to answer the most challenging questions facing doctors - and facing all men and women - on the matter of abortion.

In the current edition of the Catholic Medical Quarterly, Anthony McCarthy of SPUC argues that the induction of pre-viable unborn babies in order to save the mother’s life cannot be seen as morally acceptable. Either it involves an invasion of the baby’s bodily integrity of an impermissibly harmful kind or - at very least - it constitutes an expulsion of the baby from a place where it has a fundamental right to be.

This is a piece pro-lifers really need to read if they are to grasp the correct scope of the term abortion.

Bishop Egan has spoken out on Communion for politicians who vote in favour of abortion or same-sex marriage in a wide-ranging interview with John-Henry Westen, editor in chief of LifeSite News.

“We need to discuss this as a bishops’ conference,” he said. “I’ve already indicated to you my sympathies – if somebody is not in communion with the Catholic Church they should not be receiving Communion.”

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Following press reports last week that the homosexual rights group Stonewall is sending a dvd to all primary schools, Antonia Tully has written today to Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, asking him to ensure that primary schools show the film to parents first so that they can protect their children.

SPUC Safe at School, a campaigning group which upholds the rights of parents to be the primary educators of their children on sexual matters, has raised concerns about the new Stonewall dvd aimed at primary schools and which press reports suggest will be sent to every primary school.

It is disturbing that Stonewall has produced a highly professional film, carefully pitched at primary-age children, ostensibly about bullying and discrimination, but which carry secondary messages about gender identity and family structures.

I urge you to ensure that all primary schools screen this film to parents before showing it to any children. There should also be full disclosure to parents that the dvd has been produced by a homosexual rights group.

The plot lines in the dvd focus on a four-parent family, the difficulties faced by a girl who'd prefer to act as a boy and those of a boy who prefers drama to football and a boy whose older brother is gay. These four scenarios are designed to subtly prompt young children to think about issues which would not come naturally to them. For children, a little girl who likes to be an Indian chief is simply that. To load this with sly messages about what it means to be female is at best a distraction for children and at worst frustrates normal child development.

Parents are entitled to protect their children from this film, as this should only be screened in non-compulsory PSHE. Parents may consider that the messages in this film run counter to the values they wish to teach their children and/or they may not want these issues intruding into their children's lives.

Bullying in schools is a serious issue, but why is it being left to a homosexual rights group to speak out on this and resource schools? “Free” is not giving a balanced presentation of bullying. Children are bullied for a whole range of reasons. Stonewall appears to be hi-jacking legitimate concerns about bullying in schools to promote their agenda.

The interest of the homosexual lobby in schools is not exclusive to this country. So-called anti-bullying legislation is being used to impose a homosexual agenda in parts of Canada and the USA. The July 2012 Ontario Accepting Schools Act was ostensibly about eradicating bullying but is in reality a vehicle for promoting homosexuality in schools. The law requires, among other things, that all schools, including faith schools, must permit homosexual clubs for pupils.

Last month the 2010 anti-bullying law in Massachusetts, was amended to focus specifically on homosexual issues rather than issues related to the general population of students.

Anti-bullying legislation has not been introduced in this country, but there seems to be a consistent tactic to use bullying as a smokescreen to divert attention from the wider homosexual agenda infiltrating schools.

One again, I urge you to ensure that all primary schools give full disclosure parents about this film.

Wednesday, 5 March 2014

SPUC's Safe at School campaign will urge the Secretary of State for Education to direct all primary schools to show a new homosexual bullying film to every parent before it is screened to their children. The film, entitled "Free", has been produced by Stonewall, the homosexual rights group, which plans to send the film to every primary school in Britain (see today's edition of "Metro", the free London newspaper).

Antonia Tully, national co-ordinator of Safe at School, told the media earlier today:

"Parents should see this film before it is shown to their children. It is disingenuous to bill this film as a resource to crack down on bullying. Of course we want to see an end to bullying in schools, but bullying has become a smokescreen for promoting homosexuality to young, impressionable children.

Most parents want their children to learn that all bullying is wrong. This film risks giving children a disproportionate message about homophobic bullying, and other types of bullying could get over-looked. Schools and parents should be aware that this film is yet another vehicle to normalise same-sex relationships in the minds of very young children."

John Smeaton

About Me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 39 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.

Acknowledgement

I am grateful to SPUC's staff, supporters and advisers for their help to me in researching, writing and producing this blog.

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